Some might think of November Sundays as all about football, but for those who live for college basketball, Sunday will provide a full day of action. Here’s what the Top 25 is up to on Sunday (all times Eastern):
College basketball schedule: Eight ranked teams in action on Sunday
Baylor and Gonzaga play their Maui Invitational regional games while Kentucky gets a rematch with Robert Morris.
Jonathan Daniel
Robert Morris at No. 1 Kentucky (Keightley Classic, ESPN2, 7 p.m.): Sure, the Kentucky roster is mostly new, but fans in Lexington are probably hungry to see the Wildcats get another shot at Robert Morris, who upset the Wildcats in the NIT last year. Kentucky is coming off a loss to Michigan St. at the Champions Classic, but is back home for four straight. So far this season, Julius Randle looks like one of the best players in the country -- he's averaging 24.0 points and 14.3 rebounds per game.
No. 7 Michigan at Iowa St. (ESPN2, 5 p.m.): Iowa St. has advanced in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years and has an opportunity to make a statement early this season. Six Cyclones have averaged double figures through the first two games, but the competition takes a big step up when the seventh-ranked Wolverines visit Ames. The defending national runners-up won a pair of home games to start the year and have been paced early by Caris LeVert, Nik Stauskas and Glenn Robinson III.
Belmont at No. 12 North Carolina (Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, ESPNU, 4 p.m.): The Tar Heels play their third straight at home to start the year before traveling to Mohegan Sun for the championship portion of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Marcus Paige and James Michael McAdoo have led North Carolina in scoring so far. The Bruins played Richmond -- North Carolina's next opponent -- tough last week and have won three straight Ohio Valley championships.
Oakland at No. 15 Gonzaga (EA Sports Maui Invitational, 8 p.m.): The Maui Invitational now begins on campus sites, and the Bulldogs get their tournament started with a game against Oakland. The Golden Grizzlies are 0-3 so far this year, but all three of those losses have come to power conference teams. They lost to Cal on Friday by only four points and have yet to play a home game. Gonzaga, meanwhile, has enjoyed a pair of easy wins to start the year and should be favored to win this one rather easily.
Boston University at No. 19 Connecticut (2K Sports Classic, ESPNU, Noon): After sub-par pefromance against Yale last week, UConn crushed Detroit, 101-55 on Thursday in its first 2K Sports Classic game. Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels might be the household names on the Huskies, but senior Niels Giffey has had the most impressive start. He is 11-13 from three this season -- the best mark in the country for any shooter with more than three attempts. The Terriers are 2-0 so far, but the Huskies will be by far the toughest team they've faced.
Indiana St. at No. 21 Notre Dame (Noon): Notre Dame might be the ranked team in this matchup, but don’t count out the Sycamores before the game even starts. Indiana St. knocked off two ranked opponents last year and even beat Miami last December before the basketball world knew just how good the Hurricanes were. Notre Dame has started its first season in the ACC at 2-0, led by more than 20 points per game from Jerian Grant. The Fighting Irish most recently beat Stetson, 80-49, a week ago.
Charleston Southern at No. 22 New Mexico (6:05 p.m.): It's a new era of basketball for the Lobos, with Steve Alford now on the sideline at UCLA. Craig Neal won his first regular season game as a head coach last Saturday with an 88-52 victory over Alabama A&M. Cameron Bairstow had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Charleston Southern is 2-1 so far and is coming off a tough overtime loss to UNC-Wilmington. This is the first of two straight games against ranked competition for the Buccaneers -- they'll visit Baylor on Wednesday.
Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 23 Baylor (EA Sports Maui Invitational, 5 p.m.): The Bears beat South Carolina during the NCAA Tip-Off Marathon last week in a bizarre ending. They committed a foul as the Gamecocks attempted what would have been a game-tying shot, but the officials determined the foul happened after the final buzzer. The 66-64 victory put Baylor at 2-0 coming into its Maui game. The Bears will face Chaminade in the first round of the tournament.
Other games to keep an eye on:
South Carolina at Clemson (ESPN3, 5 p.m.)
Towson at Villanova (FS1, 5 p.m.)
Stony Brook at Indiana (2K Sports Classic, Big Ten Network, 5 p.m.)
Oregon St. at Maryland (ESPNU, 6 p.m.)
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